Hall of Secretaries

Portrait Artist: C.J. Fox

Martin P. Durkin

Tenure: January 21, 1953 to September 10, 1953

From Illinois; high school, 3 years evening school. At age
17 became steamfitter's apprentice, became active in the plumbers' and pipe
fitters' union, and rose through the ranks to become president of the union.
From 1933 to 1941, he was Director of Labor for the State of Illinois, with
considerable cooperative work with Frances Perkins, then Secretary of
Labor.

Appointed by Dwight Eisenhower. He was conspicuous on Ike's
"Nine Millionaires and a Plumber" Cabinet. He also was a Democrat among
Republicans. He believed the Administration would agree with revisions in the
Taft-Hartley Act. He pushed for these revisions without success.

Resigned after less than 8 months in office (the shortest
tenure of any Secretary of Labor).